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Sunday, April 22
Busch shines in 'Dega debut
Associated Press

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- The Talladega Superspeedway continues to be a place of firsts for Andy Petree.

It's where he nabbed his first win and his first pole position as a crew chief. On Sunday, he picked up his first victory as a car owner when Bobby Hamilton edged Tony Stewart in the Talladega 500.


	Members of Bobby Hamilton's crew run down pit road to celebrate after winning the Talladega 500.

"This team has just now gotten mature enough to win," said Petree, whose win came in his 146th try as an owner. "It does take time."

Petree bought the team in 1996 and has claimed second-place finishes with drivers Kenny Wallace (twice) and Joe Nemechek, Hamilton's current teammate. As a crew chief, he guided Dale Earnhardt, Phil Parsons and Harry Gant to wins on Talladega's 2.66-mile oval.

It was also the first win as crew chief for 30-year-old Jimmy Elledge.

Hamilton had plenty of praise for his new boss.

"They build everything in-house, and there ain't but two or three race teams that do this," he said. "For somebody to be brave enough to do that, that's a riverboat gambler. And to turn around and win as fast as he did, that means a lot to Andy Petree Racing."

The winning car was an underdog, also. It spent 1999 on the show car circuit before returning to racing.

No caution
Mike Helton spoke, and the drivers listened. NASCAR's president "lectured pretty sternly" about safe racing in the prerace meeting, rookie Kurt Busch said.

There were no cautions in a Talladega race for the first time in four years.

"I think we're all going to have a short sigh of relief, knowing we at least did it once, and there's the potential of doing it again," Busch said. "It lets us know we don't have to run over each other on the third lap."

Helton's message sank in. "When he stepped up and said that, I thought it was pretty cool," Hamilton said. "And people listened."

Not everybody was pleased with racing at Talladega, where horsepower-sapping engine restrictors are used to keep the cars under 200 mph.

Sterling Marlin led a race-high 51 laps, but got pushed back near the end and couldn't recover, finishing 23rd.

"It's pretty ridiculous racing," Marlin said. "You can't pass, and the way the cars handle doesn't make any difference. It's stupid racing. They've got to do something to fix it."

His solution? "Take the damn plates off."

Making statement
NASCAR officials also warned drivers in the prerace meeting not to go below a wide yellow line that separates the track from the apron, extending from the pit exit all the way into turn 2. Still, Mike Skinner, Todd Bodine and Casey Atwood all were hit with stop-and-go penalties for driving below the line.

Hamilton praised the rule.

"I think it was the greatest thing they could have ever done," he said. "They told us last fall, and there was still some passing (inside the line).

"They made an example out of a few of them. That's just letting us know they're serious."

Busch's debut
Could this be the beginning of a beautiful relationship for Busch and Talladega Superspeedway?

"I never even saw this place until Friday when I got here for my first qualifying round," Busch said. "It was a great weekend."

The NASCAR rookie wound up finishing third in Sunday's Talladega 500, behind Tony Stewart and Hamilton. His 95 points is two behind Kevin Harvick in the rookie standings. Busch's best previous finish was fourth on April 1 in Texas.

Sponsor wanted
Forgive Talladega Superspeedway officials if they are out of practice in courting title sponsors. The track's fall race had been sponsored for the past 31 years by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company's Winston brand. Sears had sponsored the spring race for 13 years.

Both companies ended their title sponsorships after last year, meaning the races are for now being called the Talladega 500 and Alabama 500.

"When you've only had two sponsors in 33 years, you've got a desire to go out and do the same thing as opposed to having somebody come on board for one year and leave," track spokesman Ken Patterson said

He said track officials have talked to "numerous potential sponsors," but didn't know if one would be lined up by the next race.

"This race track will see Winston Cup sponsorship again," Patterson said. "There's no doubt about that."

Spark plugs

The 29 drivers on the lead lap at the finish were the most ever in a 500-mile Winston Cup race, breaking the mark of 26 set here in the spring of 1997.

Marlin and Mark Martin are the only drivers who have led at least one lap ever each of the nine races this season.

Hamilton is the seventh different race winner this season, with Dale Jarrett the only multiple winner. Jarrett has won three times.

This was the fifth win for Chevrolet this year. Fords won the other four races.

Hamilton led only three of the 188 laps Sunday, including the final two. It was only his second top-10 finish in 19 Talladega starts.

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	Hamilton wins caution-free race at Talladega